KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Nine months before the city's next Common Council election, only four of the body's nine members have committed so far to seeking new terms.

Another has said he's leaving the city's legislative branch at year's end, and the remaining four either haven't decided or did not respond to inquiries.

The four who have said they will run for new two-year terms are Aldermen Bill Carey, D-Ward 5; Alderwomen Elisa Ball, D-Ward 6, and Maryann Mills, D-Ward 7; and council Minority Leader Debbie Brown, R-Ward 9. All four are first-term members.

Alderman Robert Senor, D-Ward 8, the council's senior member, says he's through because he's getting married in November and expects to move to the town of Ulster.

Alderman-at-Large James Noble, who serves as council president, is not up for re-election until 2015.

Ball said she's enjoyed working for her constituents and wants to continue doing so.

"It has been an honor to represent the residents of Ward 6, something I have enjoyed doing," Ball said in an email. "As a mother of four children, I strongly believe that we all need to do what we can to make our community a better place to live."

Ball, whose husband is City Judge Lawrence Ball, also said she's settled into the job nicely.

"With each passing day, I am more comfortable and familiar with how each department operates, the budget process and creating legislation," she said. "I believe, in my second term, I will be even more effective."

Mills said she hopes to keep working with fellow council members and Mayor Shayne Gallo -- who, like Noble, is not up for re-election until 2015 -- to improve the city.

The alderwoman said she wants to "continue providing effective representation to the residents of Ward 7 and the city as a whole (and) continue to work toward the ... improvement of the overall quality of life in the city of Kingston ... with Mayor Gallo, (the) council, department heads and the residents."

Mills also said she wants to work with the Kingston Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee and the city's Office for Community Development and help address infrastructure issues.

"I am active in many avenues of the city and have a vested interest in the city of Kingston as I was born and raised here," Mills said.

Brown said in an email that she is "committed to serving the residents of Ward 9 and the city of Kingston."

"There is still much to do," she said. "Therefore, I will be running for re-election."

Carey, in announcing his bid for a second term, said: "There is a lot going on and a lot excitement in Kingston, and I feel I want to be a part of that."

The only running about which Dunn would speak is the kind that involves using one's legs.

"I'm focused on working hard on behalf of Ward 1 residents and the city of Kingston," he said in an email. "As for running, I'm looking forward to running in the Kingston Classic (a springtime 10-kilometer race) again this year and running faster than I did last year."

Whitlock said she's "on the borderline" about running again.

Each member of the council is paid $8,000 per year; the majority and minority leaders get an additional $500.